NEW YORK (RNS)—Making up half of Republican primary voters, evangelicals appear to be turning out to support Rick Santorum’s resurgent campaign in record numbers and are increasingly influencing the shape of the party. Perhaps just as important, conservative Christians are…
ANALYSIS: Re-branding a religion is hard to do, and not always successful, as SBC discovers
NEW YORK (RNS) — Did leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention hurt their missionary cause by opting not to change the denomination’s name to something a bit more, well, marketable? Maybe, but as the advertising executives of Madison Avenue here…
Catholics support White House contraception mandate
NEW YORK (RNS) — A majority of Americans, including Catholics, believe that employers should be required to provide health care plans that cover contraception and birth control at no cost, according to a new survey. But the research by the…
Top Catholic bishop feels betrayed by Obama
WASHINGTON (RNS) — In the wake of President Obama’s controversial decision to mandate that religious groups pay for contraceptives for their employees, much of the coverage focused on how the president had disappointed progressive allies by giving religious groups an…
Why Mitt Romney can’t be the Mormon JFK
NEW YORK (RNS) — Mitt Romney’s sudden downgrade from Republican frontrunner to potential also-ran coincided with a massive shift of conservative Christians voters in South Carolina to Newt Gingrich’s camp. Why? Many observers trace it to lingering suspicion among evangelicals…
Poll: Preachy politicians turn off many voters
NEW YORK (RNS) — If there’s one thing the fractious Republican field agrees on, it’s that personal religious devotion is central to their campaign message. Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and even Ron Paul stress their faith on the…
Catholics warn Gingrich, Santorum on race baiting
NEW YORK (RNS) — More than 40 Catholic leaders and theologians have issued an open letter to Catholic candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum, warning them “to stop perpetuating ugly racial stereotypes on the campaign trail.” The signers of the…
Obama holds firm on contraception coverage
NEW YORK (RNS) — The Obama administration said Jan. 20 that it will not broaden the religious exemption in new rules that require employers to provide contraception coverage to employees, a move that angered religious groups and opened a high…
Religious leaders: Same-sex marriage threatens religious freedom
NEW YORK (RNS) — A coalition of nearly 40 religious leaders has published an open letter that seeks to recast the battle against same-sex marriage as a fight on behalf of religious freedom. The religious leaders, predominantly from conservative Christian…